Doula Testimonials

"Our family had the wonderful privilege of working with Holly for the birth of our second baby in 2014. It was my goal to have a natural birth as my first born was an unexpected c-section delivery. I heard about Holly in my community and everyone seemed to know her and had nothing but great things to say about her as a person. Once I met Holly, I understood what everyone was talking about! She was so full of genuine warmth, compassion and understanding. I felt so enlightened and excited to bring baby into the world with the support of a fellow mother and Doula! Holly was so encouraging and most importantly, she totally believed in me. She listened to all of concerns and helped me to work through some of my fears. It was a very powerful feeling to have the support of such a lovely and caring women. I did end up having a natural vbac with a sweet baby girl! I chose to have a hospital birth and Holly was by my side the entire time. I can still hear her calm, reassuring, capable and encouraging words guiding through each contraction and ultimately, the delivery. My husband also felt so happy to have had Holly with us. The pressure was no longer all on him! Holly helped him to help me. We absolutely loved our experience and hope to work with Holly again in the future if we have our third baby!"

— Sarah Tokarek

"I had never considered hiring a doula until a friend of mine had highly recommended Kara. At first I was hesitant with the thought of having a doula as part of my birth and working with Kara, I can honestly say that I would never have it any other way and I would recommend anyone giving birth to hire her! Being my first birth, I was not sure what to expect. However, upon first meeting Kara, we instantly hit it off. It was as if I had always known her. Best of all, Kara is so knowledgeable, that she made me feel at ease when asking her all of the questions that I had. She would give always give me practical advice that I could use. The best part of hiring Kara was that she always gave me excellent tips and strategies to help ease me through the pregnancy and through the birthing process. I truly enjoyed our meetings. Not only is Kara knowledgeable, her attending my appointments with me was beneficial. Kara helped me know the right questions to ask the medical practitioners, questions that even I would not have considered. This proved to me that Kara cared about my wellbeing. At one point in my pregnancy, Kara attended my doctor’s appointment with me and he had sent me to emergency for further check ups. No matter how long it took, Kara went with me and stayed by my side. Her support through the pregnancy was incredible. When I fell into labor, my daughter was born in under 2 hours. Kara did not hesitate to be at the hospital at a moment’s notice. My husband and I were both beyond impressed with how well Kara coached me in labor. Since a 2 hour labor is intense, she just knew my cues and took charge in a way to help ease me during this time. I did not need to tell Kara what I needed; she just knew, and it was that support during that time that got me through the entire process. Her calm voice, her friendly demeanour, her “take charge” attitude, her constant reminders to breathe, her coaching my husband…etc., all of these important things that need to be done that the medical doctors won’t do were the reason why my experience giving birth was amazing. I highly recommend Kara Kwasny as a doula; she is an excellent communicator, knowledgeable, and born to do this job! Thank you, Kara, for everything you did for me during the entire pregnancy and labor process. My husband and I truly believe we could not have had a better experience without you. We look forward to having you be our doula for the next baby!"

— Dr. Sunddip and Dr. Erick Aguilar

"Holly is a very warm person, and my husband and I felt at ease with her from our first meeting. The prenatal and postpartum visits helped put my mind at ease, and prepared me for becoming a mother. During labour, Holly’s presence was very comforting. She suggested different movements to help the baby get into position, and enabled me to labour at home for as long as possible, just like I wanted to. She said exactly what I needed to hear at the right time, and encouraged me to listen and trust my body. I wanted to labour at home and have a natural labour, and Holly gave helpful suggestions and encouragement that enabled me to do this. I felt empowered after I gave birth, and Holly played an important role in assisting me through labour. I am so grateful to Holly for her loving service!"

— Carly Honeyman

"Kayla was definitely meant to be a doula, you can tell instantly when getting to know her. If you're looking for a doula I would recommend this amazing woman in a heartbeat. I don't know how my partner and I would have managed to get through our incredibly long and complicated labor without having Kayla with us. She was such a great support not only for myself but for him as well."

— M.

"I was so thankful for Holly’s help with my first child (support pre-labour, during labour and specifically with breastfeeding support postpartum) that as soon as I knew I was pregnant with my second I asked her right away to be my Doula again. Some people questioned me as to why I would want that support with my second, since now I should “know what I’m doing”. I knew that each pregnancy and delivery are different and how vital a role she played in my first experience. Boy was I glad I asked! I had a healthy pregnancy right until the third trimester when things became complicated. I was overwhelmed with life and she was such a blessing. She directed me specifically to all sorts of research so that I was empowered to make challenging but educated decisions regarding my labour. During labour, when I was struggling with fear, Holly was calm, loving and gently reminded me of my choices in a non-judgemental way. That labour was one of the toughest things I have ever done and I can’t think of anyone more suitable for the role she played. I now have two beautiful boys and my husband and I consider Holly to be a big part of our healthy and happy birth experiences. Thank you again, Holly!"